Richland is recognizing its students and staff who are military veterans this week in honor of Veterans Day, by providing special parking spaces near all the main entrances to campus designated as “Veteran Parking Only.”
Joshua McAlpine, a Richland student and employee who served in the United States Marine Corps for five years, feels the college has provided a strong commitment to its veterans, “[As a military veteran] Richland helps me feel accepted. When they put together events like Operation Obstacle and dedicate a parking space for their veteran students, it makes me feel that they are actively thinking about making Richland Community College a more open environment for vets.”
McAlpine adds, “I think that the ‘Veteran Parking Only’ signs show that Richland wants to be even more committed to supporting the veteran student. This is one of the first of many steps to be taken in supporting the vets at Richland Community College.”
According to Dr. Isaac Zuniga, Vice President of Student Success, “Our approach to Veterans Day is a little lower key this year due to the pandemic and our desire to respect the wishes of our veteran students that are still concerned about gatherings of large crowds. That doesn’t mean we value our veterans any less. We are always committed to providing them with the support they need to be successful. The parking signs are just one way we can honor our veterans year-round.”
McAlpine says that he feels some of the biggest challenges our veterans encounter is finding that same sense of community they had in the military, “That is why having the dedicated Veterans Center at the college is such an important investment in its vet students. It gives us a place to come together and support one another.”
The Richland Foundation offers several scholarships to specifically support veterans and dependents of veterans. “Our primary goal is to remove barriers facing our students. Scholarships allow our veterans to receive a quality education at Richland without a significant financial burden,” shared Julie Melton, Assistant Vice President of Institutional Advancement.
Richland also offered free lunches in the Café for both military veteran students and staff all week long.